Adjustable means and operating assembly for road working machines



DHL 3, 1935- H. c. BUFFINGToN 2,022,757v

ADJUSTABLE MEANS AND OPERATING ASSEMBLY FOR ROAD WORKING MACHINES Filed sept. 14, 1954 5 sheets-sheet 1 A TTORNEYS.

De@ 3, 1935- H. c. BUFFINGTON 4 2,022,757

ADJUSTABLE' MEANS AND OPERATING ASSEMBLY FOR ROAD WORKING MACHINES .Filed Sept. 14, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 3, 1935. H, c. BUFFINGTGN 2,022,757

ADJUSTABLE MEANS AND OPERATING ASSEMBLY FOR ROAD WORKING MACHINES Filed Sept. 14, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 /4 INV NTOR.

BY" A TTORNEYS.

Dec. 3, 1935. Q BUFFlNGTON 2,022,757

ADIUSTABLE MEANS AND OPERATING ASSEMBLY FOR ROAD WORKING MACHINES Filed Sept. 14, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 F6- 9- I BY* ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 3, 1935. H. c. BUFFINGTON ADJUSTABLE MEANS AND OPERATING ASSEMBLY FOR ROAD WORKING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 14, 1934 .NN EN Lpllll ILD..

Y: B L-MG.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 3, 1935 *UNITED sTATEs ADJUSTABLE MEANS AND OPERATING ASSEMBLY FOR ROAD WORKING HA- CHINES Harry C. Bumngton, Springiield, lll., allignor to aker Manufacturing Company, Springileld.

e Application september 14, 1934, see-uu No. '144,001

2Claiml.

My invention relates to road working machines and moreespecially to machines adapted to work dirt roads in a manner that will suitably grade the trailic surface thereof and where desirable 6 leave the road sloping slightly toward the sides from the crown along the middle of the road, to provide suitable drainage. l

A purpose of my invention is to provide a practical and substantial road machine which will be l convenient to operate and be provided with road surface cutters particularly of the disc gang type which are adjustable in their mounting.

A particular purpose of my invention is to provide ina road working machine an adjustable 15 support and disc gang cutter assembly where a plurality of such gang cutter umts may be used on one road machine frame and where suitable adjustment may be made in their operative position and in the position of the frame when the 20 machine is working.

I attain the objects of my invention with the device described in the annexed speciiication, recited in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in `which like reference nu- 25 merals indicate like parts in the several iigures.

Referring to the figures:

Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a road working machine incorporating in its construction the salient features of my invention.

30 Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail of a side view of one of the disc gang units of my invention and the supporting structure therefor.

35 Figure 4 is an end view of the disc gang and supporting structure shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a. sectional view showing the details of the adjustable support members for the outer end of the disc gang umts and is taken from 5 5 40 `on Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a, longitudinal section of one of the disc gang units and its supporting structure showing the manner of assembly of the individual disc members in their space relation on the 4 rotating shaft holding the same.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the relative limitations of adjustment of the disc gangs as they are set to shape the road surface to provide a central road crown when working 50 the roads.

Figure 8 is a side view of one of my gang disc cutter units shown in its operative connection with a hydraulic means of making the vertical adjustments in the outer end thereof, shown in 5 operative connection therewith.

Figure 9 is an end view of the gang disc and mounting therefor as shown in Figure 8 but without the hydraulic control pump.

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken from lit-I0 on Figure 8 and revealing details of a means of 5 -vertical adjustment of the outer end of the gang unit by the hydraulic ram method.

Figure 11 is a vertical half section of the front bolster of the road machine incorporating my invention and revealing in some detail the hy- 10 draulic ram arrangement used for operatively adjusting the vertical level of the forward end of the frame of the road working machine.

Figure 12 is a detail showing in a partial side view the arrangement whereby'the rear crank 15 axle of the road working machine incorporating my invention may be adjusted by means of a hydraulic ram when it is desired to tilt the rear end of the road machine frame to one side or the other or to adjust the frame to desired positions of elevation when in operation.

I have chosen to show in the drawings of this application some of the mechanical appliances which are subject matter of a separate and distinct patent application for protection thereof; but I am not claiming that subject matter in this application.

As an engineering problem the art of preparing and maintaining a graded dirt road for public trailic has in recent years become a very important development and the various methods of working the road have required a lot of attention on the part of road machine designers.

For instance, there are jobs of road grading and maintenance requiring such activities as plowing, scraping, cuts. lls, rolling, dragging, scarifying, disc cutting, and grading to a crown to allow slope for drainage.

Machines have been developed which were adapted to accomplish these purposes and some of the machines are designed for short turns and close work and perhaps better operated with success by operating themas a horse-drawn machine; while in most cases a road may be successfully gradedwith larger machines either run` 45 ning under their own power or drawn by tractors permitting greater road mileage to be worked during a given period of time. Such machines may be the means of saving time and expense of operation easily coming within the scope of greater economy achieved by greater efliciency.

In the present instance I seek protection for certain features of construction and operation in a road working machine after having carefully tested such a machine for its operating efficiency.

In my invention I am teaching the construction and operating eiliclency of adjustably supported road surface working devices operatively carried on a road working machine.

In this connection it is conceivable that within the scope of my invention scrapers, drag units, sweepers and the like may be successfully operated but for the sake of explanation of 'the practical merits of my invention I have chosen to describe an adjustable mounting and control for one or more disc gang cutter units operatively carried by the frame oi' the road working machine.

In this machine I provide a road working machine frame I supported on wheels 2, 3, 4, and 5, and preferably provided with a front bolster 6 having a hydraulic ram 1 housed therein for the vertical adjustment of the forward end of frame I in its support upon axle 8; While at the rear end of frame I I have chosen to provide for the convenient control of the machine a split crank axle 9 to which frame I is attached for vertical adjustment or tilting adjustment, and I have found it to be decidedly practical to control such adjustments of the rear end of frame I by a hydraulic control system which is the subject of a separate patent application but illustrated herewith in the accompanying drawings as a means of better describing the merits of the present invention although such control system will not be separately claimed in this application apart from the novelty of its combination with the present invention.

A seat I0 and a rear platform II are provided at the rear end of frame I for the operators convenience; while a hydraulic pump I2 operated by either a motor or a hand pump lever I3 is mounted on frame I near the rear within easy reach of seat I0.

Hydraulic rams I4 and I5 controllably connected with crank axle 9 for the adjustment of the elevation of frame I as well as its tilting position to one side or the other communicatively connect with hydraulic pump I2 through tubes I6 and I1 through hydraulic valves IB and i9 while the hydraulic control of the vertical adjustments in bolster 6 is operated from pump I2 through Valve 28 and tube 2| conducting the fluid 22 up to cylinder 23.

The machine frame with its supporting wheels and means of adjusting the frame to operating positions as above described are thus set forth to show the practical facilities in operation when my invention is in normal use.

For instance, I have chosen to provide a group of disc gang units 24, 25, 26, and- 21 each. of which gangs consists of a group of cutters mounted in uniform space relation on a rotating shaft 28 with spacers 29 serving as the spacing means between the blades of the cutter; while plates 5@ supporting brackets 3l and 32 hold the gang of cutters into a working unit assembly which normally rotates freely in. bearings 33 and 34.

Hinge pins 35, 36, 31, and 38 supported by brackets 39, 40, 4I, and 42 on frame I afford pivotal support for gangs 24, 25, 26, and 2l respectively with each gang disposed preferably at an angle overlapping the center line of frame I and extending out to positions respectively adjacent the sides 43 and 44 of frame I for the support of their outer ends. f

I have provided means for the adjustment in the elevation of the outer ends of these gangs and while various methods may be used to accomplish this purpose yet I have herein described what I feel are the most desirable methods; the one being an adjusting bolt support and the other a hydraulic control means of adjusting each gang of cutters.

In the first instance as adjusting supports I 5 provide anchoring bolts 45, 46, 41 and 48 which respectively are adjustably engaged by brackets 49, 50, 5I, and 52 through slotted holes 53 with similar slotted holes 54, 55, and 56 not shown on brackets 50, 5I and- 52.

Brackets 49, 50, 5I and 52 are provided with serrated outer surfaces 51 and 51' adjacent the slotted holes therein and cooperating with this arrangement I have provided at each end of anchoring' bolts 45, 46, 41, and 48 washers 56 and 15 59 having a serrated inner face adapted to cooperatel with faces 51 and 51 in order to more effectively anchor the adjustable support of the outer ends of the disc gang cutter units into whatever positionof elevation that may be ad- 20 justed. 4

It will be observed that with this means of adjustment with the outer ends of the gang cutters there will be provided a substantial and practical arrangement for grading the road sur- 25 faces at whatever sloping angle may be required and doing such grading right up to the crown center of the road since the respective alternately disposed gangs overlap the center line of the road and of frame I in their mounting.

' Under normal conditions the grading angle or slope of the road surface to each side from the center line will be predetermined before the grading operations start permitting adjustment before using the road working machine and then when 85 the adjustment is made the nuts on the anchoring bolts 45, 46, 41, and 48 will be substantially tightened to prevent the support from slipping under stresses and strains to which the cutter gangs will be subjected perhaps in some cases 40 during the operation of the machine.

I have also chosen to describe and claim as novel within the broad scope of my invention a hydraulic control system for optionally adjusting my disc gangs and this means of adjustment is 45 Aillustrated in Figures 8, 9, and 10 wherein the disc gangs 24 Vfor instance having their support in bearings 33, 34 on shaft 28 spaced by spacers 29 and supported by brackets 3l and 32 engaged by plate 30 have their pivotal support on pins I1 50 engaged by brackets 39; while for the adjustment and support of the outer ends of each of these gangs I have chosen to provide a hydraulic ram unit 60 comprising a cylinder 6I and a plunger 62 with a detachable head 63 and packing 64 com- 55 municatively connected with hydraulic pump I2 for controlthrough tubes 65 with valves (not shown) for admitting the hydraulic fluids from pump l2 to tubes 65.

Thus plate 3l! vertically movable within pre- 50 determined limits may be forced down when desired for instance by the hydraulic action of plunger 62 against bearing 66 on bracket 3l supporting the disc gangs designated by numeral 24 for the purpose of this explanation. It will thus 65 be seen that when ilange 61 is -lowered with the gang of cutters it may be lowered only until it strikes the top edge 68 of that portion of frame I on which plate the gang unit is adjustably supported. y 70 It will thus be observed that in the hydraulic control of my adjustable cutter gangs or hydraulic control of other correspondingly operating road working devices which may be operatively carried by frame I that any one of such units may be thus adjusted individually or ii desired all adjusted simultaneously to whatever position of elevation that may be required.

Having thus described the nature of my invention what I claim is:

l. In a road working machine having a frame and wheels for the portable support thereof, the combination comprising a plurality of disc gangs arranged for operative support by the frame beneath the same and disposed in positions at an angle with the length of the frame; said gangs each hingedly secured by one end to said frame adjacent the longitudinal center thereof and overlapping said center and provided with an outer terminal bracket and bearing, a supporting pin on the bracket and upright slotted holes provided in said frame for the adjustable accommodation of said pin permitting vertical adjustment in the outer end of each of said disc gangs each provided with means affording positive anchorage when set to selected positions of adjustment at the outer ends; thus to permit said disc gangs to be operatively adjusted to work the road surface in a manner adapted to leave the road with a higher center crown where desired.

2. In a road working machine having a frame body, wheels for the portable support thereof and manual control means for the selective adjustment in the operating position of the frame, the combination with said frame body of a plurality of disc gangs suspended by brackets below said frame; said gang units disposed alternately toward opposite sides of said frame and overlapping the center line thereof with the inner end of each pivotally secured to said frame adjacent said center line and the outer end of each provided with a supporting bracket and support pin, and an anchoring bracket on said frame provided with slotted holes and a serrated face adjacent said slotted holes, serrated lugs on said support pin; said support pin threaded and provided with a threaded nut and in cooperation with said slotted holes, said serrated faces and lugs adapted to aiord positive anchorage in selected positions of elevation for the outer ends 20 of said disc gangs; whereby a road surface may be worked in a manner adapted to provide for the road a central crown and a suitable sloping surface to either side.

HARRY C. BUFFINGTON. 85 

